Game Recap: Devils' Haula Becomes OT Hero in 3-2 Victory Over Flyers

New Jersey earned their fourth straight preseason victory at Wells Fargo Center.

The New Jersey Devils earned their fourth preseason win on Saturday night when they earned a 3-2 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Curtis Lazar and Alexander Holtz scored in regulation, and Erik Haula won the game for his club in overtime.

"I feel like we have a really good team here. It's really good we can win in different kinds of ways, too," said Holtz after the game. "Sometimes it won't be a 6-1 game. It's nice to get these hard wins as well."

New Jersey

Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Alexander Holtz

Ondrej Palat - Erik Haula - Dawson Mercer

Max Willman - Chris Tierney - Tyce Thompson

Shane Bowers - Kyle Criscuolo - Curtis Lazar

Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton

Santeri Hatakka - Brendan Smith

Michael Vukojevic - Cal Foote

Vitek Vanecek (Full Game)

Akira Schmid

Philadelphia:

Brendan Furry - Sean Couturier - Travis Konecny

Wade Allison - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink

Matt Brown - Tanner Laczynski - Cam Atkinson

Olle Lycksell - Rhett Gardner - Samu Tuomaala

Adam Ginning - Ronnie Attard

Mark Staal - Sean Walker

Emil Andrae - Rasmus Ristolainen

Carter Hart (Full Game)

Felix Sandstrom

1. All Eyes Remain on Holtz

The 21-year-old is offensively finding his stride. He has two goals in two preseason contests and has been put in a position to succeed playing alongside Meier and Hischier. After the game, Meier spoke about what he is seeing from the young Swede.

"(Holtz is) playing with confidence, and that confidence comes from working hard in practice and doing the right things," said Meier. "It's fun to see him out there having success and getting on the score sheet. He's getting in the right spots, and he's able to finish off those plays."

There are still questions that need to be answered regarding Holtz, but seeing him offensively start to break out is a sign his development is moving in the right direction.

2. Lazar Stands Out in More Ways Than One

Lazar was on the ice for 12:33 versus the Flyers. It was the third-lowest ice time on the team, but that did not stop him from making a positive impact.

In the first period, the 28-year-old was credited with New Jersey's first goal after the puck went in off his skate. In the middle frame, he blocked a shot in the defensive zone that earned him praise from his teammates on the bench, and by the final horn, he tallied two shots, two hits, a team-leading four blocked shots, and three of five faceoff wins.

3. The Play of the Meier - Hischier - Holtz Line Left Ruff Wanting More

One line that the coaching staff has kept together since training camp began is Meier-Hischier-Holtz. The trio found their names on the scoresheet as Holtz scored the team's second goal of the night, but that was not enough, according to their head coach.

"Honestly, I didn't think the line was that great (tonight)," said Ruff. "I thought the previous game (they were) really good, but that's on all three of them. We didn't get much done. (They) took advantage of one really good opportunity."

4. The Penalty Kill Was the Highlight of the Game

The Devils found themselves shorthanded three times Saturday night. Thompson, Hischier, and Hamilton were all called for tripping, which led to the penalty kill unit taking center stage.

"I thought our penalty killing was really good," Ruff said after the game. "I thought they generated some good opportunities, did a good job killing, and that was probably the highlight of the game."

New Jersey's first goal of the game came after the team's first penalty kill. Tierney lost the faceoff to Cates, which led to Lazar blocking two shots before Thompson got control of the puck and headed up the ice toward Hart. After hitting Lazar's skate, the puck would get past Philadelphia's goaltender.

"We're all learning on the fly here, to integrate new guys. We know it's not going to be perfect, so it comes down to will and compete," said Lazar. "We got the job done."

5. Don't Sleep on Thompson

Speaking of Thompson, he is quietly putting together an impressive training camp.

For the past week, most have had their eye on Holtz, Nolan Foote, and Graeme Clarke. It's allowed Thompson to fly under the radar, but make no mistake, he has been noticeable in each of his preseason appearances. He has collected a goal and an assist and, unlike Holtz and Foote, has played primarily with guys slated to play in the American Hockey League.

With three preseason games left, the 24-year-old should remain a player to watch.